polytrendsadvancement/publications/polytrends_fall07.pdfbefore any plants reached the soil, many...

M A G A Z I N EPolyTrends

The Golden GearsEnGinEErinG revs Up for 50th Anniversary

Fall 2007 | Winter 2008

Feature Stories6

The Golden Gears

11One Footprint at a Time

18Moving Parts

Departments

2University News

14Events Calendar

16Campus Perspective

Goal Setting

22Advancing the University

Advice and Advance

24Alumni News

From Insecurities to SecuritiesBrewing the Best

Building Memories

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ON THE COVER: Mechanical engineering senior Teresa Rincon tests equipment in the photonics lab. Photo by Tom Zasadzinski

TABlE OF CONTENTSVol. 18, No. 1

PolyTrends M A G A Z I N E

Dr. J. Michael OrtizPresident, Cal Poly Pomona

Scott C. WarringtonVice President for University Advancement

Dr. Ronald H. FremontAssociate Vice President for University Relations OFFICE OF PUBlIC AFFAIRS, UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENTEditor Aida MoradGraphic Designer Ani MarkarianNews Editor lisa McPheronPhoto Editor Tom ZasadzinskiContributing Editor Uyen MaiCopy Editor The Word WizardContributing Writers Jamie Allardice, Julie Bos, laurie MclaughlinWeb Site Michelle MagcalasDistribution and Support Tambra Williams

PUBlIC AFFAIRS (909) [email protected] AFFAIRS (909) [email protected] DEVElOPMENT (909) [email protected]

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StorieS by lisa McPheron, Uyen Mai PhotoS by Tom Zasadzinski

Growing Pride

NatioNal prizes doN’t grow oN trees, but sometimes they do grow from gardens.

The American Society of Landscape Architects has awarded seven recent Cal Poly Pomona graduates the Award of Excellence in Community Service. The award, which is the highest honor the society gives to college students, recognizes them for designing and building a native garden at a local middle school.

The garden project is “Powerful!” according to a statement from the ASLA. “Introducing landscape archi-tecture curricula into elementary and middle schools accomplishes so many good things on many levels. It’s a terrific project.”

During last winter and spring quarters, Professor Gerald Taylor’s advanced landscape design studio students worked closely with teachers and school children at Lassalette Middle School in La Puente on the MathMagi-cal Landscape Project.

Before any plants reached the soil, many hours were spent researching and tutoring the middle school-ers about geometry, environmental stewardship, native plants and more.

“The (college) students gave a lot of thought and time to this project,” Taylor says. “It’s been amazing to see the enthusiasm from the middle-school students and their families. When it came to planting the garden, we had 60 people helping us. I’ve never seen so many people get so much finished in one day.”

The Cal Poly Pomona students who worked both quarters on the project include Reyna Baeza, Alfredo Cornejo, Alvaro Figueroa, Terry Lu, Marshall Mason, Donna Yeung and Jennifer Yi.

A Novel Community Projectthis fall promises to be aN excitiNg time at cal poly Pomona and in the city of Pomona. Thousands of people are reading “Bless Me, Ultima” during the National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read project.

One of the most respected works in Chicano litera-ture, Rudolfo Anaya’s novel tells the story of Antonio Luna Marez, a young boy who grapples with faith, identity and death as he comes of age in New Mexico.

“I think many people in our community can relate on a cultural level,” says Jonnie Owens, community relations program director for the College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences, who is overseeing Pomona’s Big Read. “This novel also expresses universal themes, so regardless of one’s ethnicity, this is a book to cherish.”

While an estimated 7,500 people may be picking up the novel this fall, there is a lot more than reading going on. This rich and culturally iconic tale is being used as a springboard for many community events from October to December, such as art exhibits, a street-painting festival, film screenings and many book talks.

The Big Read, which was launched nationally last year by the NEA in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and Arts Midwest, encourages literary reading by asking communities to come together to read and discuss one book. The NEA awarded Cal Poly Pomona $15,000 to carry out its events.

“The National Endowment for the Arts has given us a wonderful opportunity to support the reading of literature and unite people in our community,” Owens says. “By reading one book and participating in a variety of creative, cultural and fun events together, we can accomplish great things in the city.”

For more details about the Big Read, visit www.neabigread.org.

Follow the leaderlearNiNg does Not begiN aNd eNd iN the classroom at aNy uNiversity. at cal Poly Pomona the total learning experience includes benefits such as the 3D Leadership Conference.

The 4th annual conference, organized by the university’s Student Development and Leadership Institute, helps students identify and nurture their leadership styles.

“There is pressure associated with being a leader in a multicultural world. We want to empower students to deal with this pressure in a thoughtful way,” says Dora Lee, senior coordinator in the Office of Student Life & Cultural Centers.

This year’s two-day conference in October featured novelist Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez as keynote speaker and workshops such as “Multicultural Leader-ship,” “How to Get Involved in Your Community” and “Conflict Management.”

Where Roses Are Always in BloomThere is always time to smell the roses at Cal Poly Pomona

since Weeks Roses, one of the most esteemed rose producers in the United States, has chosen to base its research hub at the campus’s new greenhouses.

Headquartered in Upland since 1938, with additional acreage in the San Joaquin Valley, Weeks Roses found itself hemmed in by housing developments. As urban land prices soared, Tom Carruth, head of Weeks’ research department, pursued a partnership with the university.

Funded in part by a generous $200,000 donation from Weeks Roses, eight new greenhouses were built last spring at AGRIscapes. The university’s ornamental horticulture unit will also be housed in the 35,856-square-foot greenhouse complex.

Weeks Roses uses two of the greenhouses to conduct hand-pollination of 35,000 flowers, which result in about 200,000 seeds that are harvested, planted and carefully nurtured.

“It is a winning solution all around,” says Carruth, who now works on campus, along with the rest of his research department. “Close association with Cal Poly Pomona professors will keep us up-to-date on research and technology, and we can offer students hands-on experience with highly specialized projects on site.”

Broncos Ready for their Close-Up

Look out SportsCenter, there’s a new sports show on the tube. The Bronco Athletic Association has released its pilot episode of Bronco Sports Roundup this fall.

The ESPN-esque show, featuring Bronco sports highlights and interviews with athletes and coaches, is co-anchored by tennis player Eric Carlstrom and Connor Duckworth from track and field.

“We hope this can help promote Bronco pride throughout campus,” says Lorena Marquez, athletics marketing and promotions coordinator.

Students and staff from the Bronco Athletic Association produce the news show, which features the in-season teams.

“Not only is the show a fun, creative project but also an opportunity for those involved to develop their leadership and communication skills,” says Marquez, who also directs the show. “We welcome feedback so that this student-driven project can grow and be part of the learn-by-doing philosophy Cal Poly Pomona instills in all students.”

The second episode will air sometime during winter quarter, and like many television pilots, some details change as the show develops. By the second episode the show will be renamed Bronco Sports Show.

Catch all the exciting Bronco Athletics news every hour on the hour on the university’s Channel 33 or online: http://dsa.csupomona.edu/athletics/baa/default.asp.

“Many people in our community can relate on a cultural level,” Jonnie Owens says of “Bless Me, Ultima.”

More than 35,000 flowers are hand-pollinated in university greenhouses.

Landscape architecture students Donna Yeung, Alfredo Cornejo and Reyna Baeza crossed many bridges to create an award-winning garden.


Silky Spidey Senses spider silk is a fasciNatiNg material. it may break at the slightest tug because of its thinness, but it is in fact quite strong. Per unit mass, spider silk’s tensile strength has even been compared with the force of steel.

Vilupanur Ravi, professor of chemical & materials engineering, is leading a study to measure the mechanical properties of the delicate material, with an interdisciplinary team of students. Unlocking the mysteries of spider silk could perhaps one day lead materials engineers to apply such properties to develop stronger light-weight materials, like those used to make bulletproof vests, he says.

Acquiring significant amounts of spider silk is challenging, so Ravi and his students have developed a small mechanical apparatus that gently holds down the spider’s legs while the silk is gingerly collected by a rotating cylinder. Students keep the Naphila Clavipe spiders as happy as possible by hand-feeding them in the process.

Students are also developing an apparatus that would allow them to measure the silk’s tensile strength. With a minimal budget, students must be inventive.

“It’s a great way for students to exercise their engineering skills because they have to think creatively,” Ravi says. “They have to develop a low-cost mechanism to gather data. It’s a great educational experience.”

History’s John Moore Receives Top Award

each fall, the uNiversity hoNors oNe professor who is regarded as a role model and leader — both on campus and in the community — with the George P. Hart Award for Outstanding Faculty Leadership.

This year, longtime history professor John A. Moore was recognized during Fall Convocation with the university’s highest faculty award.

“I am delighted that the university has decided to honor John,” says Moore’s nominator, history associate professor Zuoyue Wang. “It’s not only a fitting recognition of his outstanding contributions to our campus, but also a message to younger faculty members, and to the students, that it is both possible and highly fulfilling to live a life integrating learning, exploration and community service.”

Moore’s scholarship has resulted in the publication of numerous articles and books, including his 2006 volume “The New United Nations: International Organization in the 21st Century,” coauthored with Jerry Pubantz. He and Pubantz garnered an Outstanding Academic Title for 2000 award for their book “To Create a New World? American Presidents and the United Nations.”

In addition, Moore has twice received Fulbright awards. In 2004, he was appointed the Laszlo Orszagh Distinguished Chair in American Studies by the Fulbright Distinguished Chairs Program, allowing him to join the faculty of humanities at Peter Pazmany Catholic University in Hungary. In 1999, he was Senior Fulbright Lecturer/Scholar at the University of Tampere, Finland.

Moore, a professor emeritus who began teaching at Cal Poly Pomona in 1965, is also known for his mentorship of students. He has advised the university’s National Model United Nations team since 1977 and built it into one of the strongest programs in the international competition.

“I was surprised to be nominated and am humbled to receive the award. I am understandably impressed with all the former recipients, and I was a long-time friend and colleague of George Hart, for whom I had the highest regard. So I will accept this award as a wonderful compliment that I just hope I deserve,” Moore says.

Esteemed Hospitality School Selects Dean

There’s a new “Top Chef” at The Collins School of Hospitality Management, beginning this December. Andrew Feinstein, who comes to Cal Poly Pomona by way of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ prestigious hospitality program, has agreed to lead the Collins School as its new dean.

“Identifying the right leader for the Collins School has been extremely challenging. But our efforts and patience have paid off with one of the best and brightest minds in hospitality education,” says President Michael Ortiz. “Andy’s leadership will expand the capacity of The Collins School, enabling us to increase our influence throughout the country.”

Feinstein has a proven track record as a hospitality education administrator. He is a past chair of UNLV’s Department of Food and Beverage Management and served most recently as senior advisor to the president.

“The Collins School is one of the premier hospitality programs in the nation, thanks to a stellar group of faculty, staff and industry friends,” Feinstein says. “This is a great moment for me and my family, and we look forward to joining the Cal Poly Pomona community and pursuing new opportunities for students.”

Building Homes with a Foundation

Because of high property values, it can be difficult to attract employees from out of state to work at Cal Poly Pomona. Even many living in the region for years struggle to afford the high cost of homes. The Cal Poly Pomona Foundation understands this challenge and is now offering more options than ever for faculty and staff to buy affordable housing near work and within a good school district.

For the first time, the Foundation is offering new affordable townhomes. Named for three oak trees preserved on the 2.5-acre property, the Fair Oaks Walk will include 34 townhomes and a small park.

“This is a big deal. We are building a community specifically for the faculty and staff of Cal Poly Pomona,” says Foundation Executive Director G. Paul Storey. “The affordability also makes this very attractive.”

The Foundation has teamed up with The Olson Co. to build this development, which is currently under construction. The first 14 units are expected to be move-in ready by December.

The development is located in north Pomona within the highly regarded Claremont Unified School District. Each floor plan includes three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and an attached garage. Sales prices have not been set yet but are estimated to start at $365,000. For more details, visit www.foundation.csupomona.edu or www.olsonhomes.com.

Engineering student David Chavezticas studies the tensile

strength of spider silk.

University employees may be able to buy new townhomes near campus.

President Ortiz and Sandra Baldonado (widow of George Hart) recognize John Moore with the George Hart Award.

Andrew Feinstein brings his hospitality track record to the

Collins School.

PolyTrends | fall 2007 | WINTER 2008 7

By Laurie McLaughlin

although most career-miNded studeNts have read the top job-hunting book “What Color is Your Parachute?,” environmentally aware grads will not be puzzled by its enig-matic title; they’ve most likely envisioned their parachutes in every shade of green.

With the number of job opportuni-ties in the environmental sustainability industry increasing, and the university keeping up with the “green” movement, it’s no surprise to find hundreds across campus focused on sustainability across the disciplines — whether social science, business, civil engineering or biology.

One Footprint at a Timecollege’s lighting education program, is working on the project with two other Cal Poly Pomona engineering professors — Xudong Jia and Mariappan “Jawa” Jawa-harlal. “It’s easier to control pollution from a stationary source, such as a stand-alone, electricity-generating train station, than a moveable source, such as the current diesel engines,” says Smith.

On the surface, it may sound like a typical public works venture to replace diesel trains with electric trains. But in order for such a structural change to occur, dozens of public and private orga-nizations would have to get on board, not to mention the billions of dollars and the generations it would take.

“With our grant, we’re just start-ing to get information out there about this idea and to see if it’s possible. It would ultimately require approval and participation by the government, Caltrans, Southern California Edison, the railroads, the trucker’s union, environmentalists and many, many others,” Smith says. “It’ll take years of negotiation with lots of cities, and the money will have to come from govern-ment. Maybe my grandkids will see it, but it won’t happen in my lifetime.”

It Won’t Happen if You Don’t Startthe uNiversity’s storied JohN t. lyle ceNter for Regenerative Studies has long been at the forefront of responsible stewardship of the planet, and those who live, work or study at the center are consistently researching and testing innovative tech-niques. In 2004, the center created a Master of Science degree program in regenerative studies in response to a growing demand for professionals with a background in sustain-able environmental practices.

“This is a program where individuals are prepared to be environmental problem-solvers for the 21st century,” says Kyle Brown, director of the Lyle Center. “It is an interdisciplinary program, and students look at the ways in which communities operate and how they can provide the support systems in these communities in a renewable or regenerative way.”

Planes, Trains and AutomobilesfraNk smith has a simple plaN: to see if diesel-pollutiNg freight traiNs caN ruN oN elec-tricity instead.

Although it could take generations to implement and billions to fund, the venture began this fall with a California Department of Transportation grant of just $5,000.

The majority of goods that come into the United States enter our borders through Southern California’s two giant ports, Long Beach and Los Angeles. The containers are off-loaded from ships onto trucks and trains, which travel through the region, headed north, south and east to consumers across the nation.

“But trains and trucks run on diesel, and they are very polluting. We want to see if it’s feasible for freight trains to run on electricity as they do in many other countries,” says Smith, thereby making rail transport more efficient, reducing the number of trucks on the road and minimizing pollutants.

Smith, lecturer emeritus in the College of Engineering and technical director of the

Training Students for the Green Industry Begins

Technical director of the engineering lighting education program, Frank Smith hopes his research may lead to a future where freight trains run on more efficient and less polluting electricity.

Regenerative studies alumnus Jonah Swick ’06 plans to promote green construction, such as this eco-dome building, with the help of his wife and architecture student, Lesley Felton.

Jonah Swick was in the first group of graduates who earned master’s in regenerative studies in 2006. “I’ve worked in construction for years, and I was concerned about waste and the lack of foresight in the business. This program looks at the bigger picture and focuses on making the world a better place,” says Swick, a project manager for a construction company that promotes green practices.

“Right now, my work is small and local, but it would be nice to work on a grander scale,” says Swick, who hopes to form his own company with his wife, architecture student Lesley Felton. “She’s in architecture and design, and I’m the building part of it,” adding that they practice an environmentally responsible lifestyle both at work and at home.

“It’s always surprising to me that some people still don’t think there is such a thing as global warming,” he adds, echoing Smith’s worry for the future. “It also shocks me that people still litter, that we don’t reuse what we have and that we allow polluted water to run off into the ocean. We are hurting the chances of our grandkids to have a nice life.”

Green Opportunity Knocksthe Number of Job opportuNities iN the eNviroNmeNtal sustaiNability iNdustry is iNcreasiNg, according to Kyle Brown. In both the public and private sectors, they are hiring sustainabil-ity coordinators due to a combination of factors, he says. “First, there are regulatory direc-tives to be more sustainable. Second, companies are seeing financial benefits because they are making the most out of resources in the long run. For example, when you lower your energy costs, it is going to positively affect your bottom line,” Brown says.

One such company is Bentley Prince Street, a carpet manufacturer in the City of Industry. The company made the then-radical decision to pioneer environmentally respon-sible carpet production in 1994, well before being “green” was hip. As recently as eight years ago, there were sporadic efforts to educate both manufacturers and customers indus-trywide about environmental sustainability within carpet manufacturing and use, says Judy Pike, director of sustainability and supply for the company. Pike is also a member of the


COVER STory

50College of Environmental Design’s Environmental Partners’ Circle Advisory Board.

“My job title is five years old, and we now integrate a sustainable philosophy in all of our decisions. Our goal is for the company to have no environmental footprint by 2020,” she says.

By producing a carbon-neutral product, as well as conducting an environmentally conscientious manufacturing process, Bentley Prince Street has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent, reduced landfill waste by 95 percent, reduced water intake by 71 percent and saved $43 million since 1994.

“Ninety percent of Fortune 500 companies have someone on their payroll working on environmental compliance, environmental affairs or some sort of sustainability,” Pike says. “This is definitely a growing and rich career for students to pursue.”

A Pervasive Subjectat cal poly pomoNa, the study of eNviroNmeNtal sustaiNability is Now beiNg iNcorporated iN many academic curricula. Lesley Felton has combined this area of study with her master’s degree in architecture, which she’ll complete in December.

“My first reaction when I’m asked about why I’m studying this is ‘why doesn’t every-one see environmental sustainability as an important issue?’ But, that sounds aggressive, which is not my intention,” she laughs. “It’s important because the consumption patterns of the United States cannot continue at the current pace, and simply recycling our cans and bottles is not going to create the type of change that needs to occur. I think sustain-able architecture is one small way people can make a difference in their environmental footprints. It reduces the energy consumption of buildings and creates healthier living and working spaces by using less-harmful materials in buildings.”

Felton was among a number of students participating in the P3 Project (People, Pros-perity and the Planet) Award competition, a national student design contest for sustain-ability sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Cal Poly Pomona group garnered two top awards for “Green Kit,” a home-based system that reduces the amount

Earlier this year, Cal Poly Pomona President Michael Ortiz became a charter signatory of the Presidents Climate Commitment. The nationwide commitment is an effort to address global warming by garnering institutional commitments to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions and to accelerate the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to re-stabilize the earth’s climate. For more information on the university’s Climate Commitment initiative, visit www.csupomona.edu/climate.

The Golden Gears

EnGinEErinG revs Up for

50th Anniversary

of energy a family uses. The system incorporates a vegetated roof, which reduces heat as well as rainfall runoff, and computer-controlled “smart” windows that open and close in reaction to weather patterns, thereby regulating air flow, light and heat. “These are not just ideas,” says Pablo LaRoche, associate professor of architecture who leads the P3 program along with fellow architecture professor Michael Fox and engineering professor Phyllis Nelson. “The students built proto-types and tested them to make sure they really worked.”

Simple ideas, but big plans. Just as Frank Smith continues to work on the labor-intensive task of getting represen-tatives from diverse agencies to simply come to the table and talk — just talk — about the possibility of electric freight trains in the Southland, Cal Poly Pomona’s students, faculty and staff also persist in leading the way toward making environ-mentally sustainable practices the norm instead of the exception.

“We’re really just getting started,” Smith says. “But, I think it just might be possible.”

By Lisa McPheron

Most people appreciate that engineers create mass transit systems, design earthquake-safe buildings and develop manufacturing machinery, as well as fulfill countless other needs essential to a complex technological society. In fact, engineers are considered the buffer between science and society, according to Ed Hohmann.

Regenerative studies alumnus Jonah Swick ’06 plans to promote green construction, such as this eco-dome building, with the help of his wife and architecture student, Lesley Felton.


2 PolyTrends | fall 2007 | WINTER 2008

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50PolyTrends | fall 2007 | WINTER 2008 11

The High Rhoads

Numerous Cal Poly Pomona engineering alumni are leaders in their fields. Take Rebecca Rhoads, vice president and CIO for Raytheon Company, a major defense contractor and employer in California. Rhoads earned her bachelor’s in 1980 and her master’s in 1986, both in electrical & computer engineering. She credits her education at Cal Poly Pomona for helping her develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

“The beauty of Cal Poly Pomona is that I never felt lost or anonymous. The electrical & computer engineering department was a close-knit environment. I was ‘hooked’ when I took my first ECE class: intro to digital electronics,” Rhoads recalls.

“Professor Hal Lewis was a terrific instructor. Interestingly, he later recruited me into General Dynamics and mentored me for years. And while the technologies have changed several times over since graduation, I often call upon my educational foundation.”

“They are the technical problem-solvers,” says the dean of the College of Engineering.

Simply put, society could not thrive without these “problem-solvers” and their application of engineering principles. So what better way to recognize the contributions of Cal Poly Pomona’s 20,000 engineering grads than to throw a party? There’s certainly plenty to celebrate as the respected College of Engineering observes its golden anniversary during the 2007-08 academic year.

“We have a 50-year reputation for producing engineers and engineering technologists who are prepared to enter the global workforce

immediately upon graduation, to offer significant contributions to industry, and to pursue graduate studies,” Dean Hohmann says. “This is why the College of Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona holds the distinction of graduating one out of every 14 engineers in the State of California.”

With the strong support of industry partners since 1957, the College of Engineering has grown to have far-reaching influence today. Growth is evident in part by the physical structure of the college. The college started in a single small building. Today, its facilities include a $52 million state-of-the-art laboratory and classroom building.

For half a century, the college’s commitment to putting theory into practice and developing symbiotic relationships with many industrial sectors such as aerospace, electrical, mechanical and civil, created a springboard for student success as practicing engineers as well as corporate managers.

“Students first came here because they liked the learn-by-doing approach to education, and they continue to come,” says Arthur Sutton, electrical & computer engineering professor emeritus. “Over the years, our graduates have done well, and that has helped us build a good reputation.”

The first graduating class may have consisted of only four men, but there are currently more than 5,000 students enrolled, an all-time high. The college and industry both credit the 20,000 graduates with providing significant support of California’s economic growth.

Year after year, the college continues to rank in the nation’s top 20 undergraduate and graduate programs for its solid academic programs, according to U.S. News and

World Report. The College of Engineering also ranks first in California and second in the nation for graduating the most underrepresented engineers.

“Our students succeed in multicultural groups because of their ability to work well as team members and team leaders,” Dean Hohmann says. “And we are competitive because our students are uniquely self-directed in their approaches to problem solving.”

The college’s formula of success originated with faculty members striving to prepare students to meet increasingly complex challenges. From mid-1957 to well in the 1970s, many of the professors worked for General Dynamics Corp. They were smart, pragmatic engineers and academically well-grounded. Their practical applications of engineering helped cement the university’s learn-by-doing philosophy that is still firmly in place.

In addition to having current experience in their fields, today most faculty members possess doctoral degrees, and many hold patents on innovative products they developed. They also leave their marks in academic textbooks for future generations of engineers. For example, “Control Systems Engineering,” which was authored by electrical engineering professor Norman Nise, is considered the authoritative text in its field. The book is in its fourth edition and has been translated into many languages.

The college currently consists of seven departments, including aerospace, chemical & materials, civil, electrical & computer, industrial & manufacturing, mechanical, and engineering technology. There are 11 ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) disciplines within those departments. In addition, each department has its own industry action council comprised of experts who work with faculty to design courses. There is also a college-level council that helps establish strategic directions for the college to inspire and promote the development of new programs, such as the master’s degree program in aerospace. That program began this year to meet the renewed demands of that industry.

Although Cal Poly Pomona is a state university that receives public funding, it could not survive without supportive partnerships, both public and private. In fact, state funding covers only about two-thirds of the finances required to give students the educational experience they need to succeed. Private funding from business leaders or corporations — such as Boeing, Chevron, Hewlett-Packard, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, the Fluor Corp. and Southern California Edison — has been instrumental over the years in supporting scholarships,

“Cal Poly Pomona holds the distinction of graduating one out of every 14

engineers in the State of California,” according to Ed Hohmann, dean of the

College of Engineering.

During the last 50 years, the demographic makeup of the student body has changed just about as much as the technology.

Engineering faculty members have left their mark, whether through molten aluminum for the mini-formula car or through authoritative textbooks, such as Norman Nise’s “Control Systems Engineering.”

“Students first came here because they liked the learn-by-doing approach to education, and they continue to come,” says Arthur Sutton, electrical & computer engineering professor emeritus.

50PolyTrends | fall 2007 | WINTER 2008 13

laboratories, research and equipment, as well as building initiatives in the college.More than 250,000 square feet of classroom space includes 62 labs containing

$12 million of equipment. Some labs support advanced and high-tech studies of aerothermofluid dynamics, computer-aided design, electromagnetics, 3-D modeling and machining, laser technology, photogrammetry, composite materials and alternative energy vehicles, while others offer opportunities to work with basic machine tools.

“This combined utilization of new equipment and traditional machinery is intentional,” says Dean Hohmann. “We want students to have a firm grasp on the newest technologies, as well as familiarity with traditional skills such as cutting metal.”

During the last 50 years, the demographic makeup of the student body has changed just about as much as the technology. Prior to the 1960s, mostly middle-class white males enrolled in the college. When the university first accepted women in 1961, female students trickled in, and a variety of ethnicities enrolled as well.

Notably, after the Vietnam War when thousands of Vietnamese began to immigrate to the United States, settling mostly in California, a large influx of Vietnamese students enrolled in the college. They, too, were looking for a slice of the American dream, beginning with a hearty serving of engineering education.

Today, more than 25 percent of undergraduate engineering students are of Asian descent and more than 26 percent are Hispanic. In fact, Cal Poly Pomona as a whole is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution, making the university eligible for

federal funds intended to assist institutions of higher education expand their capacity to serve Hispanic and low-income students. These enrollment trends reflect the surrounding communities that the university serves.

“If social mobility and egalitarianism are desirable American values, then one of the best ways colleges can exemplify these values is by endeavoring to have a diverse student population that reflects the surrounding communities,” according to Milton Randle, director of the college’s Maximizing Engineering Potential program, which is open to all students while working to support those minority students needing additional help. (See related sidebar.) “Cal Poly Pomona is squarely meeting the diversity demands of

Engineering, Family Style

It is atypical enough for a student to pursue the rigorous study of engineering. And it is also uncommon for Hispanic students to enroll in engineering. However, the three Saldivar brothers and their cousin have defied the odds.

A slight 5 percent of American graduates have earned their degrees in engineering. Only 7 percent of those enrolled in the United States are Hispanic, and only 3.1 percent of the engineering workforce is Latino/Hispanic.

“Therefore, three Mexican-American brothers and their cousin who studied engineering at the same school at the same time is important news from my perspective,” says Milton Randle, director of Maximizing Engineering Potential (MEP) for the College of Engineering.

Rosendo, Gabriel and Sergio Saldivar and their cousin Cesar (pictured below) chose to earn their bachelor’s degrees from Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Engineering.

The four are all first-generation college students raised by working-class parents, neither of whom completed high school.

“The reason I chose to go to school was that my parents gave me the opportunity to do so. I do not think I would have been able to go if it were not for my parents’ and family’s support,” says Rosendo, who has now graduated. “Given the opportunity, I chose to do engineering. I had nothing to lose but the opportunity itself.”

industry, as well as the higher education goals and aspirations of the community.”

There are many opportunities for students to gain a well-rounded education. In addition to rigorous courses, students are required to complete a team-based senior project that is showcased at the Engineering Projects Symposium each spring. More than 450 undergraduate students presented about 120 projects and exhibits at last spring’s symposium. Innovative projects have included a voice-activated wheelchair, radio-frequency-controlled doors and spacecraft development.

Often senior projects are funded by outside donations, such as the multi-year partnership with the National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators, which provided seed money for the students and faculty to develop commercially viable, entrepreneurial projects that directly benefit local communities. The projects have included a special spoon holder for people challenged by cerebral palsy, an easy-to-use manually operated water pump for developing countries and a flame-retardant shield for single-family homes.

“Students are gaining valuable experience designing tools that can benefit a community,” says mechanical engineering professor Mariappan “Jawa” Jawaharlal. “Some of these students will actually be seeking patents on their projects.”

There are more than 30 student engineering clubs and organizations that reinforce what students are learning in the classroom. Student groups such as the Formula Racing Team, Concrete Canoe and Solar Boat teams have brought acclaim to the university and provided an additional source of hands-on learning.

The College of Engineering pays close attention to trends in industry in order to prepare students for the workforce. As many baby boomers are set to retire within the next five to 10 years, a graying of the engineer workforce is forecast — especially in the civil and aerospace sectors — according to Charles Varela, director of development for the college.

Given current workforce demands, the civil engineering department has grown significantly over the years, attracting one of the largest enrollments in the nation. In direct response to industry needs, the department has also incorporated several innovative environmental, sustainable land development and traffic engineering course elements into the curriculum.

From mid-1957 to well into the 1970s, many of the professors worked for General Dynamics Corp.

The college and industry both credit the 20,000 graduates with providing a significant contribution to California’s economic growth.

Fast FactsThe College of Engineering is partnering with the United States Air Force to build subsonic and supersonic wind tunnels. Congresswoman Grace Napolitano helped secure $1 million needed for the project.

The Concrete Canoe, SAE Formula and the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) teams each took top honors in national or international competitions in the last year.

The $52 million Engineering Building is a two-story structure. The second floor is designed for “imagination of solutions” primarily using computers and the first floor is focused on “realization of design” using equipment of all sorts.

The college has more than 250,000 square feet of labs and classrooms, which are accessible via swipe card to engineering students 24/7.

With about 5,000 current students, the College of Engineering is the largest of seven colleges at Cal Poly Pomona.

(Continued on page 28)

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By Lindsey Latham i am souNd asleep, warm iN my comfortable bed wheN my alarm buzzes to wake me up at 6 o’clock in the morning. I slowly lift my sore, tired body, remembering how hard I had worked at practice the day before. I think about what practice might have in store for me today and wonder if we will have to do the dreaded “box of death,” the name my teammate so eloquently gave to a very difficult running drill. After eating a quick breakfast, I settle down in front of my computer and work on the paper I had started writing last night. I need to make final touches on it before I head off to my 8 o’clock class. I pack my soccer bag, make sure I have all my school books and rush out the door without a minute to spare. After class, which includes a lab, I have 10 minutes to run down to the training room, get my ankle taped and make it to practice on time. Late is not an option. Right after an exhausting practice, I rush back to the training room, get ice bags wrapped around both my knees and ankle and head off to another class. All the awkward stares I get from people along the way are priceless. I make it to class right on time, after which I go straight to another.

Tired is an understatement. Wishing I could take a nap, I go home, hop in the shower and get ready for a night at work instead. I hope there will be enough time for me to enjoy a dinner that isn’t too rushed. When my work

CAMPUS PerSPecTiVe

The Trials and Tribulations of a Student-Athlete

shift is finally over around 10:30 p.m., I drive home and start writing another paper. When my head hits the pillow at bedtime, sometimes not until 2 a.m., I am out like a light. I need to get some rest so I can wake up and do it all over again.

Being a student-athlete at Cal Poly Pomona is a unique experience. It’s chal-lenging but rewarding; it’s exhausting but exhilarating; it’s painful but worthwhile. A day in the life of a Cal Poly Pomona student-athlete is hectic, grueling and stressful. It is extremely difficult to manage my time between school, soccer, work, friends and family all while being drained from the physical demands of the intense running and lifting we do at prac-tice. School is challenging enough without missing classes due to road trips and having to do homework on a crowded bus while traveling between games with the rowdy men’s soccer team (which, by the way, only wants to watch movies about the greatest Croatian Team goals from 1978.) And work is challenging enough without adding a second job at Angels Stadium serving jumbo hot dogs to help pay for the gear and equipment needed for each season. So you may ask, why in the heck do we do it?

When I was a little girl, my parents would take my sister and me to my Aunt Julie’s soccer games. She was on the first women’s soccer team at San Diego State and scored the very first goal in the school’s history. I have vivid memories of watching my aunt, cheering for her team and being inspired to be a soccer star. Coming to Cal Poly Pomona and being recruited to play on the women’s soccer

team was a dream come true for me. My team and I live and breathe soccer. We push ourselves every day — not because we will receive Nike deals or Gatorade endorse-ments, and not because we have thousands of fans watching each game. We do it for ourselves, we do it for each other, we do it for our families, and we do it for that one girl in the stands we may have an impact on. It is truly what we love.

We practice every day knowing that the extra sprints we run at the end of practice, the last rep we push through in the weight room, and the hours we spend working on our corner kicks were all worth it in the end, when we beat the other team in overtime. It is the most fulfilling feeling to walk off my home field at the end of a competitive game and see the determined faces of my teammates: sweaty, tired and victorious.

This is my senior year, my last season. This is my last slew of 19 games as a Bronco, as number 11 for Cal Poly Pomona. I will stand on Kellogg Field on my last home night with Stephanie (aka Sheeba), who has been with me since my freshmen year. Together we make up the class of 2008, and together we will stand tall and proud. She has been there for me through the good times and the bad, along with the rest of my teammates. My team is my family. These young women and my experiences as a soccer player at Cal Poly Pomona have taught me more than I ever expected, shaping me into the person I am today. Being a student who is also an athlete on campus isn’t just about playing a sport. Being a student-athlete is a way of life, and only Cal Poly Pomona student-athletes can truly understand the greatness of what that means.

Student-athlete Lindsey Latham is a communications senior who wrote this perspective in her final season with the Broncos. An experienced defender on the women soccer team, she earned the prestigious CCAA All-Academic Award for the 2006-07 year, as well as the university’s Academic All-Star Award for surpassing a 3.50 GPA last year.

There are many opportunities to support student-athletes like Lindsey. For more information, contact Tim McPheron, director of development for Univer-sity Athletics, at (909) 869-2825 or [email protected].

Phot

os b

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“Being a student who is also an athlete on campus isn’t just about playing a sport. Being a student-athlete is a way of life, and only Cal Poly Pomona student-athletes can truly understand the greatness of what that means.”



MovingParts “The Rose Float is one of those things you pass on to someone else

— to that next group of students — and you know it’s in good hands,” says Bob Pettis, a Pomona Rose Float Committee chairman in 1962 and co-chairman in 1963.

The year-long process from concept to creation is challenging at best. Since the late 1970s, half of the float has regularly been built at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and connected with Cal Poly Pomona’s portion in October or November. The float must adhere to strict safety and design guidelines from the Tournament of Roses — tasks not taken lightly by the young volunteers.

Floaters have and continue to be creative, team-oriented and resourceful. The proof is on the pavement each New Year’s Day in Pasadena.

Pettis, like many Floaters, was recruited by another student. His first experience with the Rose Float occurred after the 1960 parade when his friend Rich Eastman “roped” him into riding on top of the float “Special Delivery” on the return trip from Pasadena to the Cal Poly Pomona campus. The float, consisting of a large stork delivering a bundle of joy, didn’t come with a seatbelt or saddle.

“Rich was driving the stork float back to campus, and he asked for my help,” Pettis recalls. “He stuck me on top of this stork as we brought it back from Pasadena on a very cold night. I have never been so cold in my life.”

Pettis has a handful of perilous yet victorious stories like this, as do many, if not all, of the former chairs of the Cal Poly Pomona Rose Float Committee, who lead the float’s construction. There is also a Rose Float Club and a Rose Float Alumni Chapter. The club is a group of student volunteers who do promotions and help raise money and materials for the annual endeavor. The alumni chapter carries on the tradition after graduation, mainly in support of the students’ annual efforts.

From the start, the Cal Poly Rose Float has been a student-driven project. The first chairman was Don Miller, a self-possessed pupil from Pasadena who independently contacted the Pasadena Rose Parade Committee requesting permission to enter a Cal Poly float. In the summer of 1948, parade officials called Miller directly and asked the young man if Cal Poly could build a float in 90 days.

Without checking with any campus officials or his faculty advisor, he said, “Sure!” and that set the ball rolling.

Luckily, Miller didn’t underestimate the support of the university. President Julian McPhee and Dean Harold Wilson immediately signed off on the project, and Professors Oliver “Jolly” Batcheller and Quin Conrad pledged their active support to get the float built.

With just $258, some pilfered plants and plywood from the original Kellogg Ranch on the Pomona campus, and midnight flower raids on campus and in parts of Pasadena — the original Cal Poly float “Childhood Memories” was ready for New Year’s Day 1949.

1949

1957

1959

“Rich was driving the stork float back to campus, and he asked for my help. He stuck me on top of this stork as we brought it back from Pasadena on a very cold night. I have never been so cold in my life.”

— Bob Pettis’ account after the 1960 parade when his friend Rich Eastman “roped” him into riding on top of the “Special Delivery” float on the return trip

Rose Float Hits the Pavement for Six Decades

By Lisa McPheron

The Cal Poly Universities’ Rose Float may be approaching its 60th birthday, but it still has a youthful bounce. Maybe that’s because the longest running student tradition at Cal Poly Pomona has always been at the hands of clever college students.

In the early days, the self-described Floaters were mainly young men. Even though today’s Floaters are thoroughly co-ed, they aren’t that much different from their predecessors.

Sure, they have more money now — a budget of about $50,000 versus one of a few hundred bucks. Even with inflation, that is significantly more. But the Cal Poly Rose Float will never be like the corporate-sponsored, big-budget floats in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. As the parade’s only float designed, built, decorated and financed by college students, it’s an adventure each year.

1962

1968

1970


1966

Recent photos by Tom Zasadzinski; historical photos courtesy of the Cal Poly Pomona Rose Float Committee


Barry Clark, a former Rose Float Committee chairman, first volunteered during his freshman year in the fall of 1949. He and Miller lived in the same dorm on the Voorhis campus in San Dimas.

“Don Miller more or less recruited every able person he could,” Clark says. “Once you get started, it grows on you.”

Despite working and going to school full time, Clark managed each year to volunteer on the float. For the next four years, Clark learned to be resourceful because there weren’t many resources available. He also learned the delicate dance of working well with people under pressure.

“One good thing we didn’t have to worry about was having much of a chassis because we had a lot of horse power with the Arabians” he says, recalling the 1950 float, “New Frontiers,” which was a covered wagon pulled by six horses from the W.K. Kellogg Ranch.

Like many Floaters, Clark still maintains a love for the parade and the Rose Float. The former Rose Float Committee chairman returns year after year to volunteer during Decorations Week, which is when the float gets covered in flowers and other organic materials days before the parade near the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

“The only time I missed the parades was when I lived out of state or was serving in the Marine Corps. I’ve been to almost every parade since 1972,” Clark says.

Involvement in the Rose Float underscores the Cal Poly Universities’ learn-by-doing philosophy. Students develop everything from design conception to welding steel and from pasting petals to driving the contraption down Colorado Boulevard on New Year’s Day.

Michele Gendreau, a 1983 alumna and former chairwoman, studied hospitality management; however, by the time she graduated she knew how to weld, drive a tractor and grow acres of mums.

“I liked the process,” she recalls. “I met people who were very different from me whom I would have never met otherwise, and I still consider them good friends today.”

Many former and current students like Gendreau say there is a special bond between the Floaters — a bond that has even led

to marriage on at least 80 documented occasions.

“Floaters see each other at their worst possible socio-economic and physical conditions,” says Ron Simons, who was first a co-chairman with Pettis in 1963. “When you see people at their worst and their best, it’s difficult not to become lifelong friends.”

Simons has what Floaters call a “mixed-marriage” because he graduated from Pomona and his wife, Judy, went to SLO. As associate vice president emeritus in university advancement, Simons has been involved with the Rose Float his entire adult life — aside from a stint in the Army, he says.

Current Rose Float Chairman Matthew Yeseta isn’t aware of any marriages brewing among the students today. He’s more concerned with building the next float, “Guardians of Harmony.” The Asian-themed float was designed by Alejandro Angeles, an architecture student from Cal Poly Pomona.

Today, there are about 15 Cal Poly Pomona students working at least once a week to build their half of the float. As the New Year approaches, the amount of time dedicated to the float will skyrocket and will feel more like a full-time job.

“A lot of people are scared off because of the commitment,” Yeseta says. “Some people think it’s like a Chia Pet you sprinkle a little water on, and it grows. But it is so much more than that.”

The Rose Float has offered Cal Poly students a potpourri of experiences during the last six decades and will for many years to come.

Volunteer Floater

If you want to experience it yourself, then get a little glue under your fingernails during Decorations Week. Individuals or groups of volunteers are welcome to help the last week of December in Pasadena. For details, visit www.cpprosefloat.org.

1973

1991

“One good thing we didn’t have to worry about was having much of a chassis because we had a lot of horse power with the Arabians.”

— Barry Clark recalling the 1950 float, “New Frontiers,” a covered wagon pulled by six horses from the W.K. Kellogg Ranch

1977

2003

1997

1983

2008

2007

Ron Simons (left) has been a Floater his entire adult life; Matthew Yeseta (bottom) welds a portion of this year’s float, “Guardians of Harmony.”


Advise And Advance

The council is comprised of the following members, who are all equally notable in their various fields and who are committed to helping make a difference for the university.

Michael S. Entzminger Chairman of the Board & CEO Mach 1 Air Services Tempe, Arizona

Jeffrey Eppink President Enegis, LLC Fairfax, Virginia Dennis Firestone President KKW Trucking Inc. Pomona, California Bill Ford Senior Vice President & Senior Client Manager Nonprofit Education & Institutions Bank of America Costa Mesa, California lawrence M. Gates Principal Development Resource Consultants Anaheim, California Ronald W. Gregoire Palm Desert, California Sylvia C. Hall Director, Corporate Research & Engineering Ameron International Corp. South Gate, California Charles W. Hewitt Professor & Surgery Director Transplantation & Immunology Laboratory Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Camden, New Jersey

Darcel l. Hulse President & CEO Sempra LNG San Diego, California

president names national development council members to support university

More than three dozen influential business leaders from across the country convened for the university’s inaugural National Development Council (NDC) weekend summit in October. Members of this new advisory panel, both alumni and non-alumni, were appointed by President Ortiz for two-year terms.

With impressive resumes and the prospects of opening doors for the university at national levels, NDC members will help advocate for and advance the university’s mission, as well as counsel the president and his cabinet on financial matters. At the initial meeting, members reviewed the university’s master plan, discussed ways to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions, and considered future capital campaign goals, among other areas that may enhance the university environment.

Serving as chairman is accounting alumnus Mickey Segal ‘80, managing partner of Nigro Karlin Segal & Feldstein LLP of Los Angeles, one of the nation’s leading business management firms and among the largest locally owned firms in Southern California. With more than 150 employees, the company specializes in the representation of clients who are prominent in the entertainment industry and sports world. Segal is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Daniel A. AndrewsOwner Dan Andrews Farms Bakersfield, California Joel H. Benkie Vice President Parker Hannifin Corp. Coto de Caza, California Jim l. Brulte Partner California Strategies & Communications Rancho Cucamonga, California Viggo Butler Chairman United Airports Ltd. Chatsworth, California

lance Calvert President LACA Inc. Henderson, Nevada Steven P. Cesinger President Dewberry Cesinger Holdings Atlanta, Georgia Wen Chang President Trade Union International Inc. Montclair, California

James A. Collins Collins Financial Investments Culver City, California Richard A. Croxall Vice President & Chief Engineer Northrop Grumman Corp. El Segundo, California

ADVANCING THEUNiVerSiTy

Don B. Huntley Owner & Partner Huntley Moore Farms Fresno, California Prem Jain Senior Vice President & General Manager Routing Technology GroupCisco Systems Fremont, California Martin Jeffrey King Co-Founder & CEO King’s Seafood Company Costa Mesa, California Randall lewis Executive Vice President Lewis Operating Corp. Upland, California Jacob lipa PresidentPsomas Los Angeles, California Arthur J. ludwick Glendora, California

Niaz Mohamed Jr. President Niaz Mohamed Jr. Farming Brawley, California David S. Mok President & CEO Cameron Enterprises Ltd. Arcadia, California

Norman A. Morales President & CEO Vineyard National Bank Rancho Cucamonga, California Christopher Pak President & CEO Archeon International Los Angeles, California

Michelle S. Payne Director of Foundation & Corporate Relations National Wildlife Federation Alexandria, Virginia

David Perez Mayor, City of Industry City of Industry, California

Gregory Schofield Senior Vice President & General Manager, Sales Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. Chester, New Jersey Bipin A. Shah CEO & Chairman Kovair Software Milpitas, California

lawrence J. Taff Managing Partner Shidler Group Honolulu, Hawaii Gregory C. Talbott Senior Executive Vice President PFF Bank & Trust Rancho Cucamonga, California

Dana l. Thomas President & CEO Index Fresh Inc. Bloomington, California

Rene Trevino Executive Director Commander, Navy Region Southwest Poway, California Kathy Tully Senior Vice President & Wealth Advisor Morgan Stanley Ontario, California Kent R. Valley Senior Vice President Majestic Realty Co. City of Industry, California

Eva Wasserman Principal State Parkway Advisory Chicago, Illinois Charles E. Wilcox III Chief Executive Officer American Red Cross, Southern California Region Pomona, California

For more information on Cal Poly

Pomona’s National Development

Council, contact Sharon Joyce

at [email protected] or

(909) 869-4576.

ndc chairmanMickey S. Segal

Managing PartnerNigro Karlin Segal & Feldstein LLP

Los Angeles, California


Alum

ni Spotlight

very diverse — people of different origins and colors coming together to gain real-life knowledge and exchange views.”

When they graduated, Jean found a job right away, but Tang went on 50 interviews and never scored an engineering job. The indiscreet look on his face when he’d hear that the engineering salary was less than his restau-rant job must not have helped matters.

“Jean brought her salary home every two weeks, and my sole responsibility was to deposit it. Between unsuc-cessful job interviews, I watched soaps on TV,” Tang says. However, a financial-markets TV channel caught his atten-tion, and he began to study the stock market. He opened a Merrill Lynch account and did quite well.

“After a month of day-trading, my broker called and said, ‘you’re pretty good at this — how would you like to be a broker?’”

His restaurant experience had given him the confi-

AlUMNI NewS

DONAlD TANG ’86 Recalls Being a Newcomer to the U.S. and Wall Street

s e c u r i t i e sFrom Insecurities to

By Laurie McLaughlin

Nearly 25 years ago, doNald taNg fouNd himself takiNg public traNsportatioN across Orange County on his way to daily English language classes in Mission Viejo.

“The bus to the school was full of retired senior citizens,” Tang says. “They rode every day to Laguna Beach to relax, shop and visit museums.”

Tang’s fellow passengers grew interested in the Chinese teenager who was a daily companion on the bus. “They began talking to me, asking me questions, and before I knew it, I was speaking broken English,” he says. “I later realized I learned more English on that bus than I did at the thousand-dollar-a-month language school.”

Today, the 1986 chemical & materials engineering alumnus is a vice chairman of Bear, Stearns & Co. and chairman of Bear, Stearns, Asia. The same determination he employed to master the English language helped him conquer Wall Street as an investment banker. While on Wall Street, he established a widely recognized reputation for his finesse in structuring complex transactions, particularly between the United States and Asia.

But his initial journey to California from China was the result of a boyhood crush that would change his life.

“I was 14 when I first met my future wife, Jean, at a math competi-tion,” he says.

Because she was a grade ahead of him, he devised a plan to win her heart by studying all summer and prevailing upon the school’s dean to let him skip a grade. Tang had top scores in all subjects except English and chemistry but promised the dean he would improve with the help of the class deputy, who just happened to be Jean. Although not initially impressed, Jean was eventually won over by Tang’s forthright determination.

“Then the unthinkable happened. Her whole family was moving, not to another city, but to America!” he says. With the same tireless resolve he would put to use multiple times during his life, Tang found an “emer-gency” number for the U.S. consul general’s office and pleaded his case with the consul himself.

During Tang’s first years in the United States, he learned English, married Jean, and the couple enrolled at Cal Poly Pomona — both major-ing in chemical engineering.

“The most important thing for us to survive was to get good jobs. A doctor or lawyer required more schooling, but we could finish engineer-ing degrees in four years,” he says, adding that he worked as many as 80 hours a week as a restaurant manager while taking 18 units a quarter.

They chose Cal Poly Pomona because it provided a “pragmatic, real-world education, and not just theory,” he says. “It was a happy campus and

“I acquired a lot of knowledge through failures, too, but if you work extra hard, opportunities will not miss you.”

PolyTrends | sPRINg | summER 2007 25

Alum

ni Spotlight

HEATHER PERRY ’04 is

America’s Top Espresso Barista

Brewing the Best

By Julie Bos

International business alumna Heather Perry has taken coffee-making to a new steamy high.

The world-recognized espresso barista won the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 2007 United States Barista Championship in May. This accomplishment qualified her to advance to the next level — boldly representing the United States against national champions from 49 other countries at the World Barista Competition in Tokyo, Japan, this past summer.

Not only did Perry’s efforts help her make the cut for the top six finalists, but also she ended up placing second in the overall competition and earned the honorary award for “Best Espresso 2007.”

During the annual event, 25-year-old Perry and her international competitors were judged on their technical coffee-making ability, presentation style and taste of the espresso, cappuccinos and original “signature” specialty beverages they created.

Perry perfected “Espresso in the Clouds” while working at Coffee Klatch Roasting in Rancho Cucamonga. “It features a faux crema infused with a hint of orange, lemon, ginger, cinnamon and vanilla” that is scooped on top of her world-famous espresso, slightly whipped with egg yolk and brown sugar.

Being able to present her full-flavored creation globally “was a really incredible experience, sort of like the Olympics of Coffee,” she says.

“When you’re competing in the regional and even national competitions, everyone’s from the same country, so you’re all essentially doing the same type of thing,” she explains. “In the world competition, however, it’s very different. There are things that I would never do in America that other people are doing because that’s acceptable and expected in their countries.”

dence to launch his new career, and he quickly earned the trust and respect of his superiors with his tenacity and ambition. He learned on the job and credits much of his success to the mentors who bet on him, even as a newcomer.

“I was enthusiastic enough to embrace anything in front of me, and after a while, I started to take calculated risks, which requires passion and confidence in who you are and what you’re doing,” says Tang. “I acquired a lot of knowledge through failures, too, but if you work extra hard, opportunities will not miss you.”

Several years ago, Tang moved back to California, applying his full-speed-ahead style to fostering relationships among different cultures within the region and abroad. As chairman of the Asia Society of Southern California, he arranged a trip last year accompanying leaders of the Los Angeles Urban League to meet with leaders in China. He also hosts high-ranking Asian officials and helps them experience and understand the Southland’s cultural mix, which in turn provides opportunities for people both in California and China. The Los Angeles Times recently profiled Tang and his long list of inter-cultural efforts, stating: “Tang blew into town in 2001 and set to work using the sprawling, ethnically diverse city as a petri dish for improving relations between China, his homeland, and the United States, his adopted home.”

“Sometimes people have insecurities, but if you apply those insecurities in a good way, you will have success. For me, it’s the fear of letting people down,” says Tang, who recalls the folks on the bus, the consul, his professors, his mentors on Wall Street and his family. “I want to prove people were right to have confi-dence in me.”

t

Photos by Tom Zasadzinski

2 PolyTrends | fall 2007 | WINTER 2008 PolyTrends | fall 2007 | WINTER 2008 2724 PolyTrends | fall 2007

By Jamie Allardice

The Columbia Memorial Space Science Learning Center in Downey will undoubtedly be a place of remembrance for thousands of future visitors. But for Nato Flores, this particular development is also part of his personal history.

It is being built on the same piece of land where Flores attended high school at Rockwell International. The son of a migrant worker, Flores is now founder and president of the multi-million dollar company developing the space center.

Occasionally, he hops in his two-seat airplane to fly to a business meeting in San Diego. The plane is a luxury item, but it’s also a symbol of just how far Flores has come.

A 1979 mechanical engineering graduate from Cal Poly Pomona, Flores created Tower General Contractors in 1985 with fellow alumnus Bob Freeman. What started as a small two-man operation has grown into a company with 30 employees and close to $50 million in projects currently under contract.

With Tower’s largest current project underway, Flores has seen his career come full circle. He recalls flourishing in the “pseudo-engineering” program at Rockwell but did not really consider attending college — until he received a scholarship.

A counselor urged him to consider pursuing a degree, and he signed up for the SAT.

“With nearly everything paid for, I would have been crazy to not consider it,” says Flores, who chose Cal Poly Pomona in part because it was close to his home in Hawaiian Gardens.

Alum

ni Spotlight

Contractor

NATO FlORES ’79

Finds His Place in

the World

“Coffee is an industry I fell in love with and every process that

came along with it”

Aside from her latest honors, Perry is also the 2003 United States Barista Champion and is presently Ultimate Barista USA for the Ultimate Barista Challenge international league.

Her love for coffee began nearly a decade ago when she first started learning the coffee business from her father, owner of the Coffee Klatch. Not surprisingly, she began drinking coffee at age eight and by age 14, she had already begun training as a barista. Her love for coffee and the industry itself has driven her ever since.

“Coffee is an industry I fell in love with and every process that came along with it,” she says. “Coffee is being revolutionized; now it’s about the science and theories behind it. As much as there is a science behind it, there is an art behind it.”

Founded in 1993, Coffee Klatch Roasting operates coffee shops in Southern California, a specialty coffee roasting business in San Dimas and a warehouse in Upland, where Heather perfects her own barista skills and now trains others in the art and science of coffee-making.

“Most people who open a coffee house figure they’ll learn coffee-making as they go,” explains Perry. “But that’s not a very good business plan because if they’re making a bad product initially, that can really hurt their business.

“That’s why a lot of small businesses don’t last — they don’t invest the time or money to learn how to do it right, to be good and consistent,” she adds.

In addition to Perry’s numerous awards, Coffee Klatch Roasting has been recognized as serving the “Best Espresso in America” by the Los Angeles Times.

“Someday, I hope to take over and run the family business, but in the meantime, I’ll continue competing,” she says.

Her favorite part of the coffee business is seeing the whole process come to fruition.

“It’s a unique experience to be able to go to the origin — where the coffee beans are grown — and deal with the farmers, then get the beans roasted, and finally train the barista and have a finished product for the consumer at the end of the day. Knowing all the work that went into that cup of coffee — I just love it.”

Fortunately, Perry’s 2004 international business degree from Cal Poly Pomona has complemented her career perfectly.

“Coffee is international and as a specialty roasting company, we do a lot of international travel — often visiting coffee bean origins like Columbia, Nicaragua, Panama,” she says. “Many times we buy beans directly from farmers, and we also deal with exporting, importing, licenses and a lot of international government bodies. Needless to say, my degree has helped immensely.”

Perry has the coffee business down to the last caffeinated drop.

BuildingMemories

He arrived on campus unsure of what he would study but considered architecture at one point. After taking extra math classes, he ended up studying and excelling in engineering.

“The professors made the classes so interesting,” he says. “It wasn’t just theoretical book work. We also got to see and discuss what was happening in the real world and how what we were studying applied to that.”

His real-world experiences as a child included accompanying his father to construction jobs. He envisioned himself following in his father's footsteps and working in the construction industry one day, hoping to start his own business.

“I always liked building things,” he says. “I like to see the process and how a building develops.”

Four years later, he became the first person in his family to go to college. Once he received his mechanical engineering degree, Flores worked for several engineering firms and took on projects in Saudi Arabia, which often kept him away for months at a time. Newly married, Flores quit and took a financial risk in starting Tower General with Freeman (who is

no longer with the company). Tower’s first job was designing a project in old-town Pasadena.

“We designed the project,” Flores says. “And they asked if we wanted to build it. Since we were just starting out, we wanted every project we could get.”

Over the years, Tower General has emerged as a leader in highly technical and large projects. In addition to the Columbia Memorial Space Science Learning Center — an 18,000-square-foot facility intended to honor the astronauts of the Columbia Space Shuttle — Tower General is also in the midst of moving a Huntsman Advanced Materials plant from Michigan to Southern California.

“That’s probably one of the most technical and challenging jobs we’ve ever done,” Flores says. “It’s not just about building a new facility here in Southern California, it’s about moving their plant and their very large machines here.”

When he recalls how his company grew, Flores concedes his lack of financial expertise.

“I’m an engineer,” he says. “Or at least, that’s what I started as. Early on, I didn’t focus on the financial aspects of the company but on getting the job done. I learned that in order to grow the company, we had to find ways to be more profitable.”

He eventually took accounting classes and looked for ways to expand the company’s cash flow, allowing Tower General to pursue large projects, such as the space center. As with many things in his life, Flores has indeed come full circle.

“Early on, I didn’t focus on the financial aspects of the company, but on getting the job done. I learned that in order to grow the company, we had to find ways to be more profitable.”


0

28 PolyTrends | fall 2007 | WINTER 2008 Be

a M

ento

r

www.calpolypomonaalumni.com

The Bronco Mentoring Program is designed to give students the opportunity to obtain practical career advice from our

most precious resource...our alumni!

Students can search for mentors by major, occupation or special interest.

S I G N U P T O D A y

“Nearly 800 alumni have

signed up to share their experience and knowledge

with students. Have you?”

With your help, we can provide a wealth of learning.

SupSuppoporrtt Makes a DifferenceYour

YOUR GIFT TO CAl POlY POMONAcan make a difference in the following ways:

● Student scholarships ● New labs, equipment and facilities ● Enhanced technology ● Community-outreach programs ● Faculty and student research

MAKING YOUR TAx-DEDUCTIBlE GIFT IS EASY. ONlINE: www.give2cpp.com E-MAIl: [email protected] CAll: (909) 869-4231 MAIl: remittance envelope in this issue

Due to the swell of well-prepared graduates, one would be hard-pressed to find a civil engineering firm in California that does not have Broncos on its payroll. Approximately one-third of the engineers hired in California by the Fluor Corp. for its worldwide workforce are Cal Poly Pomona graduates, and many have become project managers.

There is a similar demand from other sectors, according to Varela.

“Aerospace companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are aggressively seeking out Cal Poly Pomona graduates,” Varela says. “Enrollment in the aerospace department has more than doubled in the past five years to address this demand.”

The College of Engineering is perfectly positioned to continue its momentum for the next 50 years and beyond.

To reflect on the past and gear up for the future, alumni and friends are invited to celebrate the College of Engineering’s golden anniversary on May 30. Activi-ties will coincide with the annual Engineering Projects Symposium and open house. For event updates and more information, visit www.csupomona.edu/engineering or call (909) 869-2600.

Most people don’t realize that while

Cal Poly Pomona is a state university, it is not fully state supported but rather

state assisted. One of every three dollars budgeted must be generated from off-campus resources if the university is to meet its mission of providing lifelong learning to students.

It takes caring individuals like you to fill that gap and ensure continued access and

exceptional programs.

EnginEEring (continued from page 13)

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

ATTeNTioN AlUmNi

PAreNTS: Please share

new addresses of sons and daughters

who are Cal Poly Pomona

graduates.

CAll (800) 722-5765

Office of Public Affairs3801 W. Temple Ave.Pomona, CA 91768www.csupomona.edu

c a l p o l y p o m o n a

Nonprofit org.

U.S. Postage

PAIDCal Poly Pomona

Save the DateCollege of Engineering: 50 years of Hands-on learning

20,000 Graduates Contributing to California’s Economic GrowthFriday, May 30, 2008

Engineering Projects Symposium – 1 p.m. 50th Anniversary Celebration – 6 p.m.www.csupomona.edu/engineering

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